Labour fudgery

by frog

Last Friday, I noted that Labour had announced increased funding for solar water heating the day after we launched our energy policy, which included a plan to get 500,000 solar water heating panels into Kiwi homes within five years. What a coincidence, I mused.

Well, not so much. The extra funding had actually been announced a year earlier by the then-Energy Minister Pete Hodgson. The funding increase Trevor Mallard was trumpeting last week – an increase from $200,000 to $400,000 – was actually a Budget 2004 initiative. Presumably, the only reason for re-announcing it last week was to try and say about the Greens’ energy policy what it says about almost everything else: “Yup, we’re already on that”.

Perhaps Labour needs reminding: spinning makes you dizzy, then you fall down.